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Microsoft Corp. is working with the OPC Foundation to enable almost any IIoT scenario using interoperability between the millions of OPC UA-compliant applications and equipment. Microsoft will enable IIoT users to connect manufacturing equipment and software with extended support of OPC UA's open-source software stack. Microsoft’s extended support for OPC UA spans its IoT offerings from local connectivity with Windows devices to cloud connectivity via Microsoft Azure. Integration with Azure IoT allows customers to easily send OPC UA data to the Azure cloud, as well as command and control OPC UA devices remotely from the Azure cloud.
Pepperl+Fuchs broke ground June 2 on its new U.S. distribution and engineering center in Katy, Texas, near…

While routine build-up and clogging in process applications is annoying, process scaling is more persistent, causes unplanned downtime and increases costs in many industries. It's typically composed of calcium carbonate, wax, grease or similar…

Just as you can't have too many friends, level measurement applications can't get enough ease of use, reliability and safety. Thanks to increasing process industry needs and user demand for them, these are the three unifying priorities that drove…

Our panel of experts explore best practices for dealing with buildup on chemical seals of a differential pressure flowmeter.

Q: We have a venturi flowmeter with 3-in. flanged pressure taps and flanged chemical seals with capillary tubes in a 44-in. vertical pipe (Figure 1). The fluid is hydrocarbon (polymeric) gas. The problem is that the chemical seal diaphragms often…

A Control Design reader writes: We have several temperature, pressure and flow sensors on a new medical-device cleaning skid that we are developing. These instruments are connected to a PLC as 4-20 mA inputs, and there is also a 4-20 mA output used to control a pump motor speed. A recent failure of a flow sensor brought the process skid instrumentation to my company's quality manager's attention. He asked how we know that the temperatures, pressure and flow are accurate, and how do we know that we are cleaning properly.
I've been tasked to write a procedure for troubleshooting, calibrating and testing the 4-20 mA instruments on the skid. I can probably stumble through this, but what are some best practices for troubleshooting the analog…

Control's Monthly Resource Guide brings you the latest online resources on a variety of process control topics.

MULTI-PART WEIGHING
This four-section webpage by Omega Engineering covers "Weighing Applications," "Weighing System Design," "Installation and Calibration" and "Specialized Installations." The whole group is located at…

FOPDT model has demonstrated utility for controller tuning rules, for structuring decouplers and feedforward control algorithms.

A first-order plus deadtime (FOPDT) model is a simple approximation of the dynamic response (the transient or time-response) of a process variable to an influence. It’s also called first-order lag plus deadtime (FOLPDT), or “deadtime” may be…

'To the degree networks and standards can provide easy, consistent and seamless access to device-resident controls, the vision of truly distributed control may finally dawn upon us.'

Every compressor in the facility went down at once that day, when a PLC redundancy switchover didn’t transfer in time. The engineers didn’t know that each P453 remote I/O processor had a dip-switch-selectable timeout setting—if it didn’t…

A Control Design reader writes: We have several temperature, pressure and flow sensors on a new medical-device cleaning skid that we are developing. These instruments are connected to a PLC as 4-20 mA inputs, and there is also a 4-20 mA output used to control a pump motor speed. A recent failure of a flow sensor brought the process skid instrumentation to my company's quality manager's attention. He asked how we know that the temperatures, pressure and flow are accurate, and how do we know that we are cleaning properly.
I've been tasked to write a procedure for troubleshooting, calibrating and testing the 4-20 mA instruments on the skid. I can probably stumble through this, but what are some best practices for troubleshooting the analog…

Most public utilities deliver basic power and water, and God bless them for doing it. However, a few go beyond their essential missions, and seek to further enhance the overall well-being and prosperity of their communities.
One of these is…

Advanced control on fuel and steam can control emissions while saving millions.

It’s no secret that advanced process control (APC) has played a major role in the process industries for many decades. However, while many organizations focus only on major process units, there’s often an untapped opportunity to do more, and…

Our readers tell us who they think delivers the best technology in our industry

There's knowledge in our readers. That's why every year we ask our loyal audience to help us determine which automation service providers offer the best products and brands they can rely on to get the best combination of performance, ease of use,…

Just when it seems like today’s sophisticated motors and drives can’t possibly add more efficiencies and capabilities, engineers conjure up new tricks and refinements, followed by end users and system integrators who materialize new settings and…

Control's monthly guide brings you invaluable industry information to stay up to date on the latest trends and developments.

THE CLASSIC VALVE BOOK
The fourth edition of the 295-page classic text, "Control Valve Handbook," by Fisher Controls International and Emerson Process Management reports this classic text has been a primary reference since its first printing in1965.

Control's monthly guide brings you invaluable industry information to stay up to date on the latest trends and developments.

THE CLASSIC VALVE BOOK
The fourth edition of the 295-page classic text, "Control Valve Handbook," by Fisher Controls International and Emerson Process Management reports this classic text has been a primary reference since its first printing in1965.

Just when it seems like today’s sophisticated motors and drives can’t possibly add more efficiencies and capabilities, engineers conjure up new tricks and refinements, followed by end users and system integrators who materialize new settings and…

Actionable information is essential for the effectiveness of the 'loop,' as it is for closed-loop control and open-loop alarms.

When I sat down in my office this morning, I was greeted by the operations manager, who pointed out an entry from last night’s operations log: “Did you see? The boiler steam vent is in manual because the pressure reading whacked out and made the…

Actionable information is essential for the effectiveness of the 'loop,' as it is for closed-loop control and open-loop alarms.

When I sat down in my office this morning, I was greeted by the operations manager, who pointed out an entry from last night’s operations log: “Did you see? The boiler steam vent is in manual because the pressure reading whacked out and made the…

Actionable information is essential for the effectiveness of the 'loop,' as it is for closed-loop control and open-loop alarms.

When I sat down in my office this morning, I was greeted by the operations manager, who pointed out an entry from last night’s operations log: “Did you see? The boiler steam vent is in manual because the pressure reading whacked out and made the…

Our readers tell us who they think delivers the best technology in our industry

There's knowledge in our readers. That's why every year we ask our loyal audience to help us determine which automation service providers offer the best products and brands they can rely on to get the best combination of performance, ease of use,…

Visualizing and contextualizing safety data can have a positive impact on productivity and compliance.

"Information is one thing, but safety information is quite another," says George Schuster. He should know. He’s charged with business development for the Global Safety Team of Rockwell Automation and has seen many plants and factories begin to…

How to deal with the constraints of putting access points in hazardous areas.

In an ideal world, it wouldn’t be necessary to worry about explosive atmospheres. Unfortunately, plant environments are far from ideal, with most process plants being about 80% Class I, Div. 2 (Zone 2) and another 10% Class I Div. 1 (Zone 1), so…

Key is to learn as much as possible to make digital technologies safe, secure and successful in process settings.

As usual, and I’m sure this is true for many of you, this year’s autumn season has been a frantic dash of work, deadlines, sleep deprivation, indigestion and suspiciously arthritic stiffness. In my case, this means covering all sides of the…

With today’s network technology, even Ethernet and wireless are almost always fast enough.

As automation professionals, one issue we have about control loops is ensuring we're able to support real-time control. Historically, when Ethernet was 10 MB/s and there were multiple drops on a single port, collisions were a significant concern and…

With today’s network technology, even Ethernet and wireless are almost always fast enough.

As automation professionals, one issue we have about control loops is ensuring we're able to support real-time control. Historically, when Ethernet was 10 MB/s and there were multiple drops on a single port, collisions were a significant concern and…

Because they're the crossroads, nexus and Grand Central Station for sensor signals and data arriving and requests and actuation instructions departing, it's a big help that I/O and terminal blocks are more flexible and capable than ever.

Compact, Remote I/O for Zone 2/Div 2
LB System remote I/O has more power in less space with high-performance, compact modules plugged into a backplane. Energy-saving power management and low-power dissipation allow maximum packing density. With the…

Be just 33 seconds more productive each hour, and the savings mount quickly.

Rockwell Automation previewed its new, forward-looking App Platform for mobility at this week’s TechED conference in Orlando. While focused first on redefining smartphone use on the plant floor – with the aim of making individual workers more…

Control’s latest State of Technology report delves into the many aspects of power systems of interest in process plants.

From sourcing and ensuring uninterrupted flows of clean electricity to monitoring, regulating and metering generation and consumption throughout a facility, process automation professionals who want a smooth-running, efficient and reliable facility are well advised to seek and control power.
This anthology of recent articles delves into the many aspects of power systems of interest in process plants. Remote and wireless systems are speeding development and standardization of energy harvesting and improved battery systems.
Line-powered supplies that used to only transform electricity and maybe offer surge protection are now monitoring and measuring current and voltage profiles, implementing alerts and alarms, and sending data up to…

Greg: Here we take advantage of the chance to talk to Bill Thomas, who provides a great lesson of how to succeed in advancing capabilities and opportunities in his career and the control systems for which he was responsible. His career and the…

Control's monthly guide brings you invaluable industry information to stay up to date on the latest trends and developments.

AT THEIR BEST, ALL THE TIME
ExperTune’s white paper, “How to Improve Performance of Process Control Assets,” by George Buckbee, P.E., describes the practice of real-time asset performance management, shows how to get assets to perform at their best all the time, and demonstrates the value of integrating these tools for a performance picture that delivers financial results. It’s available here.
ISA / www.isa.org
ANALYZING, PREDICTING PROBLEMS
This 57-minute video, “Avoid Equipment Surprises: Predictive Diagnostics for Oil & Gas,” is presented by Joe Dupree, GE Automation and Controls, and users from NiSource Gas and Alyeska. They demonstrate condition-based monitoring, predictive analytics and other tools for evaluating…

Steve Christian remembers the days—not too long ago—when production schedules were printed on sheets of paper and distributed to operators at his plant, who would manually twist valve handles to send the Ragu sauce tomato slurry from one kettle…

Advanced control on fuel and steam can control emissions while saving millions.

It’s no secret that advanced process control (APC) has played a major role in the process industries for many decades. However, while many organizations focus only on major process units, there’s often an untapped opportunity to do more, and…

Find and slay the dragons lurking in the typical safety instrumented system.

Cybersecurity is a growing concern in the process industries, and a number of good articles have been written about it for industrial control systems (ICS)—many full of doom and gloom. Here, we will divide the ICS into two parts: safety…

Big data can only help users if they understand what it is, how it can affect their controls and processes, and how they can use it to optimize operations.

Similar to any new technology emerging on the process control front, big data can only help users make better decisions if they understand what it is, how it can affect their controls and processes, and how they can use it to optimize operations.

Our readers tell us who they think delivers the best technology in our industry

There's knowledge in our readers. That's why every year we ask our loyal audience to help us determine which automation service providers offer the best products and brands they can rely on to get the best combination of performance, ease of use,…

CONTROL contributor Dick Caro, a member of the ISA committee developing a set of wireless industrial networking standards, reports to us the latest progress on SP100 activity from Karlsruhe, Germany.

Karlsruhe, Germany – The SP100.11a standards working group met here for four full business days to make progress toward the standard. By the end of the meeting, the committee had agreed upon an architecture, selected a single application layer and formed the editorial team to actually write the standard.

While cooperation among competing suppliers seems to be working very well, there continues to be a feeling that each of the two groups—CI (Collaboration Initiative, lead by Emerson) and WNSIA (Wireless Network for Secure Industrial Applications, lead by Honeywell)—will try to gain an advantage. After last month’s user objections, the committee agreed that the Honeywell attempt to get its narrowband frequency-hopping spread spectrum physical layer adopted as an alternative would be deferred to Release 2. Meanwhile, Release 1, based on the CI recommendation using an IEEE 802.15.4-2006 radio with channel-hopping, continues to take shape.

The architecture of the SP100 network has been the subject of many heated discussions. The architecture adopted for Release 1 is a full mesh network in which all nodes may contain a routing function, but it can be disabled or omitted for simplicity or power conservation reasons. The mesh allows for a network to become physically large without installation of a higher-speed backbone, but each “hop” comes with a time delay that may prevent the use of the data from far points in fast control loops. This is why Release 1 is targeted at non-critical functions that can tolerate a latency (time lag) of 100 milliseconds. This limitation is often expressed as a control loop cycle time of about one second.

The Honeywell alternative architecture proposed at the Phoenix meeting included a wireless backbone and field-mounted SP100 access points that were interconnected using the IEEE 802.11s (still in draft stage) wireless mesh protocol. This architecture will most likely emerge in Release 2 of SP100.11a as an option. Honeywell has shown that its proposed architecture is more time-efficient than the full mesh network proposed for Release 1, and is more suited for faster control loops and even safety systems. However, it was agreed that nothing in the architecture for SP100, even in Release 1, would prevent operation with latencies as low as 10 milliseconds.

Application LayerAfter presenting a proposal for the application layer (AL) in Phoenix, Honeywell delivered an almost complete document for consideration to the Application/Gateway Task Group in Karlsruhe. This AL is highly compatible with Foundation fieldbus, HART and Profibus, since it is based on the use of electronic device descriptions (EDD) taken from IEC 61804-3, an international standard now being balloted as ISA/ANSI 104.

SP100 AL will not specify any EDDs, but will allow the use of EDDs by applications connected through an SP100 network. All of the required AL services are included in this document, including a tunneling or encapsulation protocol for transmitting messages other than SP100. The remaining committee work is to convert the Honeywell document to the correct form for a standard. This committee also heard an alternative AL presentation from Rockwell Automation for its CIP protocol. It was generally agreed that CIP would be considered for a later release that was more oriented toward factory automation; however, CIP will be reviewed to see if any of its features are suitable for inclusion in Release 1.

The committee is planning to include a gateway function for SP100.11a. The gateway may be contained in a separate device, or it may be distributed to other network devices. The gateway is designed to translate from SP100 data streams to those of the supported networks—Foundation fieldbus, Profibus/PROFInet or HART. SP100 will not specify the translation utility, but will provide the network interfaces required so that the respective organizations can create one.

Since HART is using a wireless network totally incompatible with SP100, we cannot plan that that these signals can be communicated via the SP100.11a network in any way. All that we can do for wireless HART is to specify the gateway functions that a device could use to be compatible with the SP100 interface to the host control system.

NetworkingThe work of the Network/Transport Task Group has now been defined. In SP100, the mesh routing (intranet) will not be done in the network layer (NL), but is assigned to the upper data link layer. The NL will only handle routing between different SP100 network segments. The services that the transport layer (TL) will provide to applications are cyclic and acyclic reads and writes, alerting and multicast messages. The requirements for these services were obtained from the draft AL specification.

The exact protocol for the NL has not yet been formalized. Since the NL must allow routing between connected SP100 networks, it must provide routing services in the protocol stack. One such stack proposal is called 6LoPAN, which is designed to use a compressed version of Internet Protocol, version 6, over a low-powered, low-data-rate network. 6LoPAN has recently been approved by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Internet standards body, as a draft standard for low-powered networks. A decision on the NL protocol must be made soon.

Physical LayerRelease 1 will have only one physical layer (PHY). This is similar to the original proposal by CI group members Dust Networks and Emerson. It will operate at 2.4 GHz using direct-sequence spread spectrum with added channel-hopping. This PHY will use IEEE 802.15.4-2006 radios.

The committee discussed the process of adding new PHYs in the future. The committee regards the radio itself as the most rapidly changing technology, and the SP100.11a specification must make the integration of new radio technology as seamless as possible.